Meet You at the Shore
by aly.lynn122
Summary: Thane had said it, and he meant it. But he never realized how hard the wait would be. Mass Effect 3 spoilers.


Thane watched with anticipation as Shepard stood before the holographic child, shaking in exhaustion and pain. She was so close to the sea, he was sure she could hear the waves. But she needed to choose, first. She needed to finish what she had started. Three choices sat before her, and he could feel her indecision. She was fading fast. It hurt him to see her in so much pain. The human admiral had pushed her and pushed her, and in the end, she would die for him. His orders had said simply to destroy the Reapers, and being a soldier down to her last breath, Thane watched as his siha began firing her gun at the console. Each blast brought her a step closer. The tears streamed down her face, and her entire body trembled. She had only a few fleeting seconds left.  
Her body went out in a fiery blast as the world exploded around her, and Thane watched as her flaming corpse crumpled to the ground. Her spirit was in the sea now, and all he could do was helplessly wait for her to find her way to the shore.

Shepard felt the world swirling around her. She slowly opened her eyes. Her body floated weightlessly in the depths, and despite not having any air, she didn't feel any pressure in her lungs. After years of the heavy burden of her responsibility pressing down on her, the cool water taking the weight out of her limbs was the most welcome feeling. She didn't remember anything beyond seeing a blast of orange fire igniting around her. She didn't know how she had gotten here, but for a brief moment, she considered letting go. Letting herself sink into the depths, going to sleep as the oxygen in her body was used up and she was crushed by the soothing force of the water. Drowning used to haunt her nightmares, but she was so tired, and it would be so nice to go out in water, instead of fire.

She closed her eyes briefly, feeling herself sink. But then she remembered Thane's disembodied voice in her ear.  
Go and finish it.  
She had to see it through, had to make sure she had done what she promised. It hurt when she moved her limbs, and the closer she got to the surface, the more her pain increased. The agony overwhelmed her, but she kept pushing against the currents that tried to lull her back into the depths.  
I will be waiting for you at the shore.  
She kicked with everything she had, but she was so tired, and the lights dancing at the top of the waters seemed so far away. Her frantic movements slowed as her body gave into the fatigue, and despite her struggles, she began to sink again.  
I'm sorry, Thane, she thought as her body fell into the darkness, I tried.

Bodies had been washing up onto the shore in droves for months now. The victims of the Reapers numbered in billions, and with all the lives lost in the final push, the shores were full of impatient onlookers seeking a glimpse of their loved ones.  
At first, Thane had joined the crowd in their frantic search, but with each body that wasn't Shepard's, he had begun to despair. He couldn't bring himself to look down on Earth, and instead contented himself with watching Kolyat. He had managed to escape the Citadel before it had relocated itself, and was on Thessia, assisting with rebuilding the asari culture, which had always fascinated him. He did good work, and had even met a young asari woman that seemed to peak his interest. Kolyat had fallen into a rough patch after Thane's death, but with the help of Captain Bailey, he had been able to pull himself together again.  
When he wasn't watching Kolyat, Thane would walk to the curve of the shore that was not littered with bodies gasping their first breaths in the afterlife. He didn't like to see the terror on the faces of people who had no one to greet them. They always found peace, once they realized, but the first glimpse of the afterlife was easy on no one.  
It had been days since Thane had watched his siha's last breath. Most people washed up on the shore within a day, and his heart ached to think of Shepard sitting in the ruins of the Citadel, barely clinging to life. She had walked the cusp of the shore before, and he had seen what it had done to her to be pulled away from it. Of all people, she deserved peace the most.  
He watched the cerulean waves lap at the sand of the beach, briefly wondering if he should force himself to check Earth, however much it might hurt him to try.  
It was then that he saw the flash of brown against the white sand. The currents had deposited a body on the beach far from the others, her long brown hair floating in the small pool around her head. Thane felt his breath catch in his throat. His legs coaxed him into a run as he hurried to the body, recognizing it even as his eyes fell on her face for the first time.  
He threw himself into the surf at his feet, scooping her up into his arms as joyous tears streamed down his face. Her skin was creamy white under his green, and for the first time, he was able to see what had lain behind the scars that marred her face. She had always been beautiful, but she now resembled the angel she truly was.  
"Siha" he cried, bringing his lips to hers as he felt her eyelashes flutter open at his cheeks. Her hand came up to stroke his face, disbelief pouring through her gaze. He could feel her weariness in the way her fingers shook, and knew she had fought laboriously against the depths. It wasn't like her to go without a fight.  
"Thane," she breathed when he finally pulled his lips away from hers momentarily.  
"I told you I'd wait for you, siha. Welcome home," he sighed, gently cradling her head in his hand, wiping away her tears with his thumb. She clung to him desperately, and for the first time in years, she felt completely and wholly happy.


End file.
